After decades in the shadows, the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette Super Sport reemerges at Amelia Island

In December 1956, at the New York Auto Show, Chevrolet debuted a one-off Corvette concept it called the Super Sport. After its time on the show circuit, the car was sold through a dealer in New Mexico, and shortly afterward, fell off the radar. Now, six decades later, the restored Corvette is ready for its second public debut, this time at the 2017 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

Based on a production Corvette reworked by Chevrolet’s Styling Department, the Super Sport boasted the new 283-cu.in., 283-horsepower fuel-injected V-8 beneath the hood, highly polished for display and mated to a close-ratio three-speed manual transmission (though a four-speed manual would debut for fuel-injected Corvettes in 1957). On the outside, the Super Sport wore pearlescent white paint with blue stripes, brushed aluminum coves with rear brake ducts, dual cut-down windscreens for driver and navigator, and unique taillamps. Inside the cockpit, driver and passenger sat on leather-clad seats (dyed blue, to match the stripes) and could share drinks from a magnetically attached vacuum bottle. Designed with rallying in mind, the car even incorporated a console-mounted clipboard to hold pace notes.

Following appearances in New York, the Corvette Super Sport (not to be confused with the Corvette SS engineering study) starred at the 1957 SCCA Convention in Detroit and made an appearance at the Chicago Auto Show as well. As a thread on Corvette Forum documents, the one-off Corvette landed at Dick Doane Chevrolet in Detroit before being sold to Ralph Pool’s Albuquerque Auto Sales, which owned the car briefly before it sold to the first retail buyer.

Routinely driven in the Albuquerque area into the 1960s, the Corvette’s time on the road ended when a young owner crashed the car in a street race. Sold to several buyers over the years, it remained in unrestored condition, complete with crash damage, into the 1980s, at one point even landing in a junkyard before being rescued. Somewhere along the line lawyers got involved in an ownership dispute, one more reason the car remained in disrepair and out of the public eye.

The Corvette Forum dialogue, which dates to 2012, indicates that the car was restored in recent years, likely by current owner John Baldwin, who purchased the car in 1996. Largely out of the public eye since 1957, the car’s reemergence at Amelia Island is one more demonstration of Bill Warner’s unique ability to scout forgotten cars of interest to attendees.

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starsailingsays:

March 2, 2017 3:22 pm

Enjoyed the article!..Great link to see the Vette in crashed condition…..All questions answered except….Did the young man who crashed the Vette…survive…and most importantly…. was he winning the race before he crashed???
Best TV show drama series ever……Route 66 ! Old Vette crashing while racing…legendary!!!….Vettes falling in a sinkhole because of poor planning…..not legendary.

Dale Schafersays:

March 5, 2017 2:20 pm

No neither were seriously injured. Scrape and cuts. A very reliable friend of mine Dave Benjamin was there and the Corvette swerved to miss a on coming Hudson. If anyone want to speak to him I have his email address. Dale

Autobug2says:

March 2, 2017 3:37 pm

So often, I read where certain “one-offs” from car mfrs. end up getting sold to individuals after their time on the show circuit, only to be wrecked by irresponsible drivers somewhere along the way. It’s sad that when this occurs, the owners fail to realize how significant that car is, and should be protected & babied do to it’s exclusiveness.

Kurt Ernstsays:

March 6, 2017 7:26 am

Rich, I definitely will stop by to meet you. Expect me on the “dawn patrol” on Sunday morning.

I can’t take credit for starting the Hemmings Daily, as it was created long before I signed on. I am thankful to work for such a respected publisher in the automotive world.

PHANTOM HAWKsays:

March 3, 2017 11:34 am

If a vehicle is ‘significant’ and should be ‘protected’ and ‘babied’ just because it’s a one-off then the MANUFACTURER should have enough intelligence and care enough to not sell the vehicle and put it in ‘safe storage.’ But this is America…the land of planned obsolescence…where money talks and a sale is a sale. Eventually time passes [hindsight is always 20/20] making the sales decision a ‘mistake’ and hopefully the vehicle may still be around to be returned to its long lost glory by a collector/investor.

dukeisdukesays:

March 2, 2017 5:07 pm

It appears to be the same car – perhaps the only thing “unique” about the taillamps are the lenses, which are hidden in the studio picture.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing pictures of the restored car. I’ll look in my Corvette book tonight (Karl E. Ludvigsen’s “Corvette: America’s Star-Spangled Sports Car: The Complete History”) to see if there’s any mention or photos of this car. It doesn’t ring any bells.

Kurt Ernstsays:

March 3, 2017 7:19 am

starsailingsays:

March 2, 2017 5:03 pm

I noticed the damage to the steering wheel in the pics…just now. Driver certainly was injured by the broken off part and dented/bent steering wheel.
In our neighborhood in the 50’s there was an auto body shop called Southside Auto. Dewey Anderson would get in cars to repair that were in pretty bad shape…We would watch them take the car off the tow truck…and try to listen to to story. I have an air photo website for MN that goes back to 1923 air photos across the sate. In the 50’s air photo..I can see the mangled sports car in back of the building that we were so interested in.
Dewey fixed my brother’s Roman Rec 62 Bel Air Bubble top twice from an accident when a tree jumped out in front of him. Bill had been drinking, going down short hill which split into a Y junction with a tree dead ahead…because of the icy road…turning the wheel left caused the car to go straight. Turning the whell to rt caused the car to go straight. KISS!
We bring it to Dewey who says he can fix in a week or two…We come and get ther car…looks perfect! That night some girl asks Bill where he hit the tree..Bill ..drinking shows her..icy hill again…wheel left…wheel rt..hits the tree in the same exact way! We bring the car to Dewey…Bill says….Can you fix my rt front fender.. I had a tree jump out in front of me….dewey says…geez I just fixed it yesterday!…What’s the matter with you? Bill looks at dewey puzzled and said…NO you didn’t what are you talking about. I played along and said you never worked on his car Dewey…We just about had him convinced he was living in the Twilight Zone until he looked at his books/workorders….As usual..Dewey did a great job again….

SCOTT NJsays:

March 3, 2017 8:50 am

Great story about the repair shop and owner! In the very small town where I grew up there were a lot of small repair shops and almost all did body work, and what kept them busy was that same variety of jumping tree. And the ice. My mom slid sideways off a straight icy road due to the high crown. The car was pointing straight ahead with a cement post neatly nestled in the center of the passenger door. No complaints though as the post kept it from rolling over into the deep ditch. Her car was in the shop frequently due to us teenage drivers, head light ripped out along with headlight trim and a bit of fender, broken motor mount from revving up and slamming into drive when dragging, engine cooked requiring rebuild, and all due to me and my brother who were sober. We kept Len’s garage busy and he still smiles at us 50 years later.

March 2, 2017 5:05 pm

tommycsays:

March 3, 2017 9:27 am

Dale Schafersays:

March 5, 2017 2:25 pm

David Burnssays:

March 3, 2017 9:27 am

Very interesting
Note that the tires are narrow white walls on the Vette whereas the other Chevy’s had wide whites, thought narrow whites were later than this.
When did the narrow white walls become “standard”
Love your magazine

matt cuddysays:

March 3, 2017 10:42 am

Howiesays:

March 3, 2017 10:55 am

Jim Benjaminsonsays:

March 3, 2017 11:02 am

My Dad was service manager for the local Chevrolet dealer in 1957 and had two of them – a regular four door sedan (which he hated) and then a 210 series 4-door hardtop like the one pictured to the right of the Super Sport. Dad’s was black but otherwise identical to the one pictured, even down to the dog-dish hubcaps. What really caught my eye in this photo was the four-door sedan to the upper left – first time I’ve ever seen a sedan with a continental kit!

PHANTOM HAWKsays:

March 3, 2017 11:05 am

Heck with the Corvette…put the FOUR DOOR Bel Air [at the back of the top photo]…with a ‘sporty’ continental spare…on display. Wonder if it was also fuel injected for the family man with sporting aspirations who needed more than a two seat sports car?

Steve Strietersays:

March 3, 2017 11:38 am

Interesting info in the Corvette Forum thread, with VIN discussion stating it was a ’56. The wreck photos show damage extreme enough to need a replacement frame & cowl/firewall, and mention that a “donor car was restored instead”, which might muddy the waters as to whether the restored car is the original show car.
I had a ’57 at one time, and was always cognizant of how close the steering column & wheel were to one’s chest; some guys shortened the column for ergonomics & to put some distance on that spear…
The tail light treatment presaged the ’58-’60 flat lenses, the cove treatment was a reference to the SR Corvettes, and the aluminum trim inside & out was something GM was fond of adding to their show cars during that time-frame.
Thanks for the article & the reference threads, nice work!

PHANTOM HAWKsays:

March 3, 2017 7:38 pm

So…the restored car is merely another Corvette ‘inspired by’ and ‘built in the manner of’ the original show car…but we must assume using as many useable parts for the original show car as possible…close enough for ‘Amelia.’

Dale Schafersays:

March 5, 2017 2:27 pm

Brian Schultzsays:

March 3, 2017 12:26 pm

I think it is very interesting how our attitude towards these sorts of show cars has changed in 60 years. I could never imagine a special like this just being sold off and ending up in any old place. I could never imagine GM doing this with any show car today. Now they are works of art preserved in hermetically sealed enclosures never to be driven, only shown. Interesting.

Dale Schafersays:

March 8, 2017 5:17 pm

Toivoksays:

March 3, 2017 12:32 pm

Thanks for the informative article, Kurt. Did not know about this car.
Doesn’t it seem as though the four door hardtop and the sedan with the continental kit are sitting very low on the chassis? Is this something the manufacturers did to make the cars look sleeker as they did with the advertising pix?

RichMZsays:

March 4, 2017 10:59 pm

I have been helping my friend John, the owner, to prepare the car for Amelia. I will try to answer a few questions as I’m quite familiar with the car and it’s history.

We have never discovered the seriousness of the injuries of the occupants when the car was in the accident. We do know that it was on a drag strip when it happened. Allegedly it crashed while trying to avoid a car returning from the opposite direction, which was Euclid Blvd in Albuquerque. As we’ve been told by locals, Euclid was a “illegal” dragstip in it’s day and was active primarily on Sundays.

The tail lamp treatment is unique in that it has a chrome (apx 1/4″ wide bar mitered on to the lens and slopes toward the rear. Hard to describe without a photo. I will try to post some on my Photobucket page at a later time.

There was no “donor car” used in the restoration. The first owner to acquire it from the junkyard in 1958/? , also bought another 1957 Corvette with rear damage to use the front section for the repairs. He never repaired it and and the Super Sport sat until 1996 when John bought it. John did not buy the spare car. The damage was extensive, frame repaired, and GM body pieces were used to replace the damage parts. All salvageable original parts were used in the restoration to maintain originality wherever possible. There are no “muddy” waters surrounding this car, as it is the original car, repaired.

The car started life as a 1956, vin# 1589(the 589th, as vins started with 1000 in 1956). It was a display car at the GM Building in Detroit. It was red, with power top & hardtop, power windows, radio, park brake alarm. Sometime after June 28th 1956, the car was sent to the styling department where it was to be converted into the Super Sport. It was completed in early December. At that time $18,000 was spent to customize the car. Most of this was interior. This included Blue leather seating and dash, custom Plexiglas windscreens, and many other unique features. There will be many photos upcoming which will detail these items. I have photos of all interior parts removed during restoration. The Styling department was quite talented to create many of these special parts in such a short time.

Kurt Ernstsays:

March 5, 2017 8:14 am

starsailingsays:

March 5, 2017 12:13 pm

RichMZsays:

March 5, 2017 12:15 pm

I was in error when i posted the ‘drag strip’ street name portion of the story……The street name was Eubank Blvd. not Euclid.

Photos of the tail lamp features, along with other photos of some of the unique interior parts can be seen in the link below. I also added some original B & W photos from the 1957 Auto Show and a historical video of the show, which at about 2;20 in shows the car as well. You’ll have to copy/paste these into your browser.

starsailingsays:

March 5, 2017 12:19 pm

RichMZsays:

March 5, 2017 2:25 pm

Thanks for posting the dragstrip link. Dale Schafer and I have spent many years researching the Super Sport history and the accident. I recently got a note from him that someone else recently sent him…..

“I was at south Eubank when the vette made a pass. I remember that a Hudson was coming back up the track as the Vette ran and that is why it ran off the road.
……………..
db”

Dale wrote a history some time ago and I’ll reiterate much of what he learned and shared with me.

The Super Sport started life as a red 1956 Corvette, early build with mandatory Hydraulic Power Top and 2x4BBL 265CI V8. It had 2 Tops, one Soft Top and also a Hard Top. Note that at the same time period Zora Duntov was building the 1957 SS Race Car. The 2 are often confused.

Styling acquired the 1956 car and started modifying it for show with custom features. The vin number plate was removed and a new plate was made defining it as a 1957 Corvette with the same vin sequence number as the 1956 car except the “…S1…” was replaced with a “…S0…” in the vin so as to not replicate the actual 1957 Corvette production car number.

The red paint was covered up with a Pearl White paint and blue stripe, somewhat similar to the Sebring Race car colors earlier in the year. The Hard Top was removed and holes in the lid were filled in with crude fiberglass cloth and resin from the backside. The Power Top system was left there, however the decklid cover cylinder was disconnected from it, which shows the red paint underneath. Styling likely didn’t get too detailed on items that would not be seen at the car shows. The Soft Top frame was removed, along with the windshield and side windows and all associated mechanisms. The engine was removed and replaced with a 1957 engine with special camshaft and Fuel Injection. The engine bay was enhanced with custom features including a blue wiper motor(non functional), blue generator, chromed voltage regulator cover and horn relay, and other car show touches to make it special. The FI unit had a special sealed chromed Air Filter canister.

Special treatments were done all over the car. Special heavy chromed brass side cove trims. External door scoops and custom built anodized aluminum cove fillers and special side spears. Special tail lamp housings with a flat mitered center bar to fit against the red lens. Fuel Injection emblems. A special dual Plexiglas windshield cowl to fit over the dash. Custom interior with many unique features such as ribbed aluminum floor panels and leather heel pads, custom ribbed tunnel cover, special dash panel to house the gauges, custom tachometer housing with specially built tachometer which may have been the prelude to the 1957 Airbox Car tachometer arrangement on the steering column. It has blue leather seats and dash, custom center console with clip board paper rings, blue leather shifter boot, chromed brass switched courtesy lamps, inside door panel inserts and safety lamps, Custom chromed flat spoke wood steering wheel, magnetized cup holders between the seats, Thermos bottle, and so many small details that made this a special car. The Shop Order number was 90181. 90 was the prefix for Corvette. 181 was the internal Dept SO#.

From there, it is believed the car went back to Chevrolet, then ultimately went to Dick Doane Chevrolet in Illinois. Here is where the story of the Super Sport becomes vague. However, further research uncovered some interesting events.

A used car dealer by the name of Ralph Poole in Albuquerque, New Mexico found out the car was for sale. It is not clear but the time frame may have been in the spring of 1958. He sent his son Larry Poole to the airport in Illinois where the car was on display and where it was to be picked up. Larry borrowed a helmet and goggles and flew to Illinois and took delivery of the car. He planned to drive it back to Albuquerque. On the ride home he stopped in Indianapolis where the Indy 500 race was being held.

Larry made it back home safely and was noted to say that the helmet and goggles were splattered with bugs from the ride home. A local newspaper did a short story of the car and noted a local resident bought it from Ralph Pool.

There have been conflicting stories as to who was driving the car at a later time when it got in the accident. Regardless, Next comes a story believed to be the demise of the Super Sport. Allegedly on a Sunday morning, a young man and his friend took a ride in the car to go to the store. Going down Central Ave, old Route 66 in Albuquerque, the driver lost control and smashed the car into a pole at the left front wheel area. The story has also been told to me from Dale Schafer that the accident actually occurred on Eubank Blvd, a local “illegal” Sunday use drag strip.

The car was totaled. It is unknown what the injuries to driver and passenger were. There have been varying stories of the driver. One tells me it was the son of the owner, another was the caretaker’s son. Regardless, it’s a sad ending to the car and it’s lineage. The car then went to a junk yard and sat outside for a long time. A local man later bought the car along with another Corvette to be used as parts for repair. The engine was removed and stored. It sat in his garage for many years. In 1996 he sold it.

Dale Schafersays:

March 5, 2017 2:49 pm

RichMZsays:

March 5, 2017 2:54 pm

Dale and I just conversed. Here is his reply to me….

“Someone asked what it hit? A telephone pole. Someone else asked if anyone was hurt. No, but one was thrown out of the car according to witnesses. Neither were seriously hurt, cuts and scratches. thank you Rich, Dale”

RichMZsays:

March 6, 2017 6:28 am

I know many folks cannot make it to Amelia, so I will try to shoot some videos of the Event and post in my Youtube account and when I get back I’ll note them here.

In the meantime, when John and I got the Super Sport fired up for the first time a few weeks ago, I captured the moment with a few clips. We had a few problems before first start as you’ll see. Typical little gotchas that seem to happen but we figured them out and got it running pretty good. This was the first time the engine ran since that infamous night in Albuquerque On Eubank Blvd.

Studearchsays:

March 8, 2017 1:39 pm

RichMZsays:

March 10, 2017 4:37 am

Thanks for those photos then. When my friend got the car he took many “before” photos to help with the restoration. He did a remarkable job. He’s been doing Corvettes for over 50 years as a hobby and this was his favorite. I have been fortunate enough to get up close with the car and it has been the highlight of my Corvette passion. Nothing will ever top this one.

Dale Schafersays:

March 10, 2017 10:59 am

Ron Hoveysays:

March 21, 2017 7:41 pm

This is a great story. I grew up with that car in my dad’s garage for over 30 some years. I pretended I was driving the car many times while it sat preserved in my dad’s garage. My father (Bill Hovey) did a great job preserving and protecting all the parts to the car. It is a great sight to see the car restored. It is a bitter sweet feeling. We tried talking him out of selling it but he loves seeing the car finished and being shown now.

RichMZsays:

March 23, 2017 1:04 am

Ron,

Thank you very much for adding to the story. Please tell your Dad a special thanks goes to him for having the foresight to acquire the car so long ago and keep it safe. It is especially special that he preserved all of the original custom parts to the car so that when John got it he had them all there to bring it back to form.

John started to restore the car nearly 20 years ago over a several year period. I have all of the photos of his restoration and have posted a few on my Photobucket site. It was nearly complete and it had never been run and never moved under it’s own power until last month, and ever since that Sunday in Albuquerque after the accident. John did remarkable job to restore the car. Thanks to your Dad for saving it from a unknown fate, it became a reality again.

And also a “Thank You” from all of us that have had the opportunity to see this very special car again in it’s true form. It is uniquely special for me to be able to help with it’s finishing touches and restoration completion and help with it’s preparation to get it to Amelia. Also please tell him it would be a special pleasure to speak with him at some point if he has any questions about the car and if he would like to see some of the restoration photographs. I would certainly have pleasure to be able to speak with him as I would surely have some questions about the car to ask him also.

I suspect that the car will be going away soon, likely to be hidden away somewhere with occasional re-emergence. Right now I can see it any time and actually have some work to do on it. We have a few bugs to work out after the 3 mile round trip to and from the Amelia Fields last Saturday. I am certain that I will then be unable to see the car as it will be gone. I am thankful for the time I have had with it.

John and I spoke very recently and he said he hopes your Dad has seen the latest images of the car and it’s “re”-debut to the Public since it’s first Public appearance over 60 years ago in New York.

Again, Please say “Thank You” to your Dad from all of us that have been able to see this great car again.

Rich

Amelia followup:
==============
We struggled last Thursday to fix a few electrical issues and a brake problem. We nearly got it all sorted out when we got notified the Concours was moving back one day from Sunday to Saturday due to bad weather predictions for Sunday. We didn’t think we would make it when we realized we lost one day preparation. Somehow, it all worked out and by end of day it was done, and took one short ride before nightfall and a final runup before transport loading the next morning.

The car arrived in the mid afternoon Friday. I couldn’t sleep Friday night and I got up at 2 AM, wired, with no pillow return trip in my mind, so I ended up driving around Fernandina Beach looking for all night coffee equipped gas stations. I found one and hung out there for a hour or so then actually went to a all night car wash to scrub the bugs from the nose and windshield from my SUV. Anxiousness at 3 AM, multiple caffeine hits, and no sleep, can play tricks on the mind………as I was scrubbing away I actually thought of Larry Poole’s helmet and goggles covered with bugs from his IL to NM journey 60 years earlier.

At 6 AM the car was unloaded from the trailer and we got in, turned the key, and it started right up and came to life. Hearing it running after a sleepless night woke us both up immediately, but what a great feeling. All gauges normal. Lights on, all fine. It was quite dark out but sunrise would be approaching over the Atlantic soon.

Amazingly the car performed perfectly on the 1 1/2 mile ride over to the Entry area. We got there and had to wait a while for the field to open for all of the cars to enter. We got near our space and Lance Miller was there with video recording in progress. He did two videos, one as we arrived, then one doing a walk around and interview with John.

The rest of the day was filled with excitement whenever anyone came by. At several times the crowds were quite large. Wayne Carini stopped over and had a good look at it with some very nice comments. HVA came by and noted it as their potential selection for a special Heritage Award. GM Executives spent a long time with John and his car talking about it’s features and lineage.

Then John had to drive the car………TWICE….. up to the Podium to accept Awards with his wife and their Grandson along side. One Award was a Significant Car Parade feature award, the other was The Historical Vehicle Association National Heritage Award. All in all the Event was a great day. Special thanks to Bill Warner and his entire Staff to help “re”-debut this special car after it’s long sleep. The Super Sport was shining once again in it’s glory after it’s 60 year wait to be back in the Public Eye once again.

Kurt Ernstsays:

March 23, 2017 7:34 am

Ron Hoveysays:

March 23, 2017 10:37 am

Rich,
Thank you so much for the kind words. My dad will be proud to read them. This car was his passion for so many years and our whole family is so excited to see all the videos and pictures. The car is absolutely beautiful! What a fantastic job you did.
I am sure my dad will love to talk to you and someday get to see the car in person.
Again thanks for the feedback,
Take care,
Ron